Fishing rod holder apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A method of retaining a fishing rod in retention to have a J-hook member rotate about a slotted region so when the fishing rod is in a stored location it is substantially retained therein and the fisherman with ease can remove the rod from a stored location to a removed position.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/989,189 filed Nov. 15,2004, and claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 60/568,953 filed May7, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fishing rod holders are adapted in general to be mounted to watervessels or stationary platforms such as docks or the like. A fishing rodholder should have the function of positioning a fishing rod in asubstantially secure orientation that is adapted to handle the loads ofa fish that hooks to the bait of the fishing line attached to the rod ina well-known and conventional manner. Further, the fishing rod should bereasonably accessible, in that if the bait of the fishing pole is takenby fish, oftentimes the fisherman will want to grab the rod and removeit from its stored location to a removed position of the fishing polewhere the fisherman is actively and dynamically reeling in his catch.

It is generally desirable to rest a fishing pole in a stored locationthat is reasonably secure, where the fisherman has confidence that abite on the line from a fish will not pull their whole fishing rodassembly overboard; this can account for a costly loss of equipment aswell as a ruined outing. Further, the fish must endure its final days ofliving with a hook at its mouth that is attached to a relatively largemass that partially mobilizes and perhaps causes a painful death to thefish. It is generally desirable to have a fishing rod in a storedlocation when the fisherman is tired and fatigued of holding the rod orwhile he or she is trolling. Further, while fishing with more than onerod, the fisherman must store the nonactive rod in a fishing rodretention type device.

Prior art fishing rod holders have generally failed to meet the criteriaof positioning a fishing rod in a stored location that is substantiallysecure from removal upon the load exerted thereon by a fish at theforward end portion of a pole and having easy and convenient access tothe fishing rod for removal from the stored location by the fisherman onquick demand when a bite is on the line of the fishing rod line. Thereare numerous advantages to quickly removing a fishing rod such as whenfishing from a drift boat where tree limbs and other objects threaten tobreak the fishing rod while in the stored position; it is desirable forthe fisherman to quickly and effectively remove the fishing rod when itis in such a perilous position. Therefore, quick and easy removal of afishing rod in a timely fashion is desired, so as to make it possiblefor the rod holder to fight a fish quickly and effectively with minimalstruggle and resistance. In one form, a fishing rod holder with onemoving piece with an offset rotation axis allows for significantadvantages.

In one form, the fishing rod retention assembly allows for placing ofthe rod further out over the gunnel of a boat. Further, the removal ofthe rod can be accomplished to the fisherman's desired angle of pullwhether it be from leftward, rightward or upward directions. Thisvariety of movement for releasing the fishing rod from the storedlocation allows for minimal training and adapting to the fishing rodretention assembly by the user, which eases the frustration that ispresent with prior art devices. Further, in one form the fisherman canimmediately pull the rod from the holder with either one hand or twohands without any significant amount of force applied thereto. However,the rod remains intact securely in a stored location when the force of afish on the line at the forward end portion of the fishing rod isapplied to the fishing rod.

In the particular application of fishing known as down rigging,oftentimes careful attention must be applied when removing a fishing rodfrom its holder so as to not trip the downrigging ball which wouldrequire resetting the release and fishing rod. The fishing rod retentionassembly as described below is particularly conducive for thisapplication. Generally, setting up a downrigger is often problematicbecause the rod must be maintained in a position to keep various linesfrom entangling each other. When a downrigger line is tripped, thedownrigger may be released. The fishing rod retention assembly describedbelow allows for easy placement of the fishing rod therein to preventtangling of such lines.

When a fisherman uses barbless hooks, hooking and landing a fish is farmore difficult. In this application, once the fisherman hooks a fish, heor she must maintain constant tension upon the fishing line aftersetting the hook or the fish can potentially get away. The quick releasedesign of the fishing rod retention assembly described below isconducive for maintaining constant tension upon the fishing line.

The fishing rod retention assembly allows for a very quick method tosecure a rod in a stored location, and also a very quick method ofretrieving the rod to a removed active location of the fishing rod. Theminimal amount of movement and resistance allows for very easyretrieval, and even when employing the lock assembly described below,the removal process is extremely fast and does not require “getting usedto” the device. Because such a minimal amount of movement is required toposition the rod from the stored location within the fishing rodassembly to a removed position, there is minimal force and displacementupon the line which is particularly advantageous when downrigging. Toremove the rod from the fishing rod retention assembly the fishing rodis repositioned in a manner substantially orthogonal to the central axisof the fishing rod. Further, to position the fishing rod within theJ-hook assembly, the fisherman needs only to position the fishing rodsubstantially downwardly with slight lateral movement where the fishingrod is repositioned in a manner that is orthogonal to the central axis.This can be accomplished with one hand, keeping one hand free to eitherhold the line away from rod guides when using a downrigger, or to reston the tiller handle or the steering wheel of the boat.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In general the apparatus is a fishing rod retention assembly having alongitudinal axis that substantially extends along the length of afishing rod and a lateral axis. The assembly is adapted to be attachedto a stationary platform or a boat, with a reel seat area of a fishingrod mounted therein. The fishing rod has a forward region thatoccasionally has a load exerted thereon, such as the load exerted from afish on the line of the fishing rod. The fishing rod retention memberhas a retention member adapted to be adjustably attached to thestationary platform or boat, and comprising a longitudinally forward anda rearward surface that partially defines a receiving slot. The assemblyfurther has a J-member that comprises a retention bracket comprising alower retention member and an upper retention member and has a centralelongated chamber region adapted to mount the reel seat area of afishing rod therein. The J-member further has a curve attachment fixedlyattached to the retention bracket, the curved attachment having alongitudinally rearward surface and a longitudinally forward surface. Inthe lateral direction the J-member has first and second surfaces thatare curved about a longitudinal axis. The center of curvature of thefirst and second surfaces is arranged to have center of curvatures in afirst lateral area of the curve attachment.

The J-member is adapted to be positioned in the receiving slot of theretention member and have an open position whereby the elongated chamberregion provides for access therein. The J-member is adapted to berepositioned downwardly and laterally with the curve attachmentextending through the receiving slot in a closed position to retain afishing rod therein. The frictional force between either thelongitudinally rearward surface or the longitudinally forward surface ofthe curve attachment with the longitudinally forward and rearwardsurfaces of the retention member locks the fishing rod therein when aload is placed on the forward portion of the fishing rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an orthogonal view of the fishing rod retention assemblywhere the J-member is in an open position;

FIG. 2 shows a fishing rod retention assembly with a fishing rodretained therein;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the fishing rod retention assembly with across-sectional view of a fishing rod retained therein;

FIG. 4 shows a transition state with the fishing rod repositioned in avertical direction from within the rod retention conduit of the fishingrod retention assembly;

FIG. 5 shows the J-member in an open position with the fishing rodremoved from the fishing rod retention assembly;

FIG. 5A shows a rod retention system shown in a closed orientation;

FIG. 6 shows the fishing rod within the fishing rod retention assembly,where the right-hand portion simulates the pull movement exerted thereonthe fishing rod from the catch of a fish where the fishing rod issecurely positioned in the rod retention conduit formed by the retentionmember and the J-member;

FIG. 7 shows the fisherman removing the fishing rod by exerting apartially vertical force thereon where the J-member repositions to anopen position;

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the fishing rod retention assemblyillustrating the rod locking mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the fishing rod retention assembly illustratingthe mobility of the base mount with respect to the mount extension;

FIG. 10 shows a side view of a base mount that is adapted to bepositioned on a boat or other fishing location such as the dock on theshoreline;

FIG. 11 shows a mount extension that is fixedly attached to the rodretention system;

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of the locking member of the rod lockingmechanism;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the locking mechanism that is extendedthrough the upper portion of the adjustment slot of the J-member;

FIG. 14 shows a locking member in an extracted state whereby the outersurface is retracted from the narrow region;

FIG. 15 shows the J-member in an open position whereby the outer surfaceof the locking member is engaging the narrow region of the adjustmentslot;

FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of the fishing rod retentionassembly whereby the locking member is in a retracted position;

FIG. 17 shows a locking member of the rod locking mechanism in a fullyretracted orientation where it is in a retracted retained position;

FIG. 18 shows the J-member extending to an open position;

FIG. 19 shows the J-member of the fishing rod retention assembly in afully open position;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the fishing rod retention assembly;

FIG. 21 is a partial sectional view of the J-member;

FIG. 22 is a partial sectional view of the retention member.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

There will first be a description of the general environment for thearea of use of the fishing rod retention assembly 20, followed by aspecific discussion of the components and attributes of an embodiment ofthe fishing rod retention assembly. Thereafter a method of use of thefishing rod retention assembly will be discussed.

Initially referring to FIG. 1, an axes system 10 is defined thatcorrelates to the fishing rod retention assembly 20. A longitudinal axis12 is generally defined by the center axis of the rod retention conduit152 described below. A lateral axis 14 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8 isdefined as a lateral direction. A substantially vertical axis 16 isorthogonal to the longitudinal axis 12 and the lateral axis 14. Itshould be noted that in practice the substantially vertical axis 16 isnot perfectly vertical and aligned with the flux field of gravity, butrather, at an angle tilted rearwardly toward the boat or stationaryplatform (such as a fishing platform) as shown in FIG. 2. It should benoted that the axis system is relative to the upper portion of thefishing rod retention assembly 20 and hence moves therewith.

As shown in FIG. 9, the fishing rod retention assembly 20 is generallycomprised of a base mounting system 22 and a rod retention system 24.The rod retention system 24 as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a J-member 26.In general, the J-member 26 comprises a retention bracket 28 and a curveattachment 30. The retention bracket 28 comprises an upper retentionmember 32 and a lower retention member 34. The upper and lower retentionmembers comprise the rotating retention surface 36 that is adapted toengage the reel seat area 164 of a fishing rod 162 described below withreference to FIGS. 3-7.

The retention bracket 28 further comprises in one form surfaces 40 and42 that are adapted to define openings 44 and 46 as shown in FIG. 1.These openings allow for a lighter weight J-member 26. As shown in FIG.8, a pocket 48 is defined as a recessed region. The pocket 48 isparticularly advantageous for engaging an extension 165 (see FIG. 7) ofa fishing rod that is opposite to the reel. Further, the pocket ispositioned in between the openings 44 and 46 and directly above thecurve attachment 30. Therefore to facilitate a substantially uniformthickness for plastic injection molding, providing a recessed region forthe pocket allows for a better molding process and cooling procedure toproperly plastic inject the components, which is one form of making thefishing rod retention assembly 20.

Also shown in FIG. 8, the curve attachment 30 has a first curve surface60 and a second curve surface 62. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, theJ-member 26 is shown removed from the retention member 25 along thelongitudinal axis. The first curve surface 60 has a radius of curvature64 and the second curve surface 62 has a radius of curvature 66. Ofcourse the surfaces 60 and 62 need not be perfect partial cylindricalsurfaces and the center of radii for the various localized portions ofthe first and second surfaces 60 and 62 can change with respect to theradial location along the curve attachment 30. However, in one form theradius 64 is approximately 1.25 inches and the radius 66 isapproximately 1.5 inches for a mean average radius of 1.375. Of course,these values in practice can change within the range of 1 inch and 1.25inches for radii 64 and 66 respectively up to 3 inches and 3.25 inchesfor radii 64 and 66 respectively. The radius 65 represents a mean radiusof curvature of the curved attachment 30. If the cross-sectionalthickness of the curve attachment 30 is thicker, the difference betweenthe radii 64 and 66 will change accordingly. In the broader scope, theradii 64 and 60 can be in the general range of 6 inches if less rotationof the J-member 26 and more vertical displacement of the same isdesired. An alternative method for defining the curvature of the curveattachment 30 is to define a central axis 68 having a radius 70 wherethe radius 70 is a mean average radius for a certain radial distance ofthe curve attachment 30, and is not limited to a fixed radius and fixedcurvature therealong the radial distance of the curve attachment 30.Therefore, in general a range for the radius 70 can be between 1 inchand 3 inches and in the broader scope 0.5 inches to 10 inches. Thecenter of curvatures 64 and 66 need not be concentric, but are locatedon the same first lateral portion of the curve attachment 30 asgenerally indicated at 59 in FIG. 21. The discussion below will describethe use of the curve attachment 30, and how the lack of a fixed pivotpoint allows for a more streamlined design and a desirable vertical andlateral movement of the fishing rod when being placed in the fishing rodretention assembly 20 and being removed therefrom.

Now referring back to FIG. 1, the J-member 26 further comprises alongitudinally rearward surface 74 and a longitudinally forward surface76. The surfaces 60, 62, 74 and 76 are adapted to engage the receivingslot 102 described further below. As shown in FIG. 1, the J-member 26further comprises a surface defining an adjustment slot 80 that isadapted to extend the vertical and lateral length along the curveattachment 30 substantially along the path of the center axis 68 that isshown in FIG. 21. The adjustment slot as shown in FIG. 8 has a lowersurface 81 that is adapted engage the outer surface of the contractingmechanism 116 to prevent the J-member 26 from being fully extracted. Theadjustment slot 80 is part of a rod locking mechanism 114 describedbelow. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper retention member 32 compriseslongitudinally forward and rearward portions 35 and 37. The portions 35and 37 define a central opening 39 as adapted to allow portions of thereel 166 be positioned therein.

A rod retention conduit 152 is a longitudinally extending conduitdefined by the retention member 25 and the retention bracket 28. Morespecifically, the rod retention conduit 152 is further defined by theretention surface 90 of the retention member 25 and the rotatingretention surface 36 of the lower and upper retention extensions 34 and32 respectively (which are a portion of the retention bracket 28).

Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 25, the retention member 25 in one form isa portion of the rod retention system 24 and the base mounting system 22(see FIG. 1). In general, the retention member 25 comprises a stationaryretention bracket 84, a J-member receiving portion 86 and a mountextension 88. The stationary retention bracket 84 comprises a retentionsurface 90. The retention surface 90 of the retention member 84 isadapted to cooperate with the retention bracket 28 to hold the reel seatarea therein. The retention surface 90 can directly contact the reelseat area or alternatively indirectly contact at within interposedmaterial. For example, a thin material can be attached to the endportion of the lower retention extension and flexibly attached thereto.Therefore when the J-member 26 is in a closed position the materialwould flex toward the first lateral direction and be biased by theretention surface of the retention member. Likewise, when the J-member26 is in an open position, the thin material would relocate toward thesecond lateral direction or be sufficiently flexible to allow thefishing rod to be withdrawn therefrom to the fishing rod retentionassembly 20.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the retention member 25 comprises a finreinforcement system 29 having fins 41 and 43. The fin reinforcementsystem has a longitudinally inward region that is fixedly engaged to avertical fin 47. As shown in FIG. 5, the retention member 25 without thefin reinforcement system 29 has a more planar arrangement than, forexample, the retention bracket 28 of the J-member 26. Therefore, in oneform, it is desirable to have the fin system 29 to better support anymovements acting upon the longitudinally forward and rearward portionsof the retention member 25. The retention member has forward andrearward portions 92 and 94. The forward and rearward portions define acentral open area 96.

Also shown in FIGS. 1 and 21, the J-member receiving portion 86 has aJ-member retention bracket support surface 100 that is adapted to engagethe outer surface of the retention bracket 28. Further, a surfacedefining a receiving slot 102 is provided having longitudinally forwardand rearward surfaces 104 and 106 respectively and first and secondlateral surfaces 108 and 110. The surfaces 108 and 110 are adapted toengage the curve surfaces 60 and 62 described above. Further, thelongitudinal forward and rearward surfaces 104 and 106 are adapted toengage the surfaces 76 and 74 respectively whereas frictional engagementbetween the surfaces will occur when a movement about the lateral axisis imparted upon the J-member 26 described further below. In one form,the J-member receiving portion 86 provides a surface defining alaterally extending opening 112 that is a portion of the rod lockingmechanism 114 as shown in FIGS. 8, 17 and 18.

The rod locking mechanism is comprised of previous aforementionedcomponents and regions of the fishing rod retention assembly 20 in oneform. As shown in FIG. 1, the curve attachment 30 is adapted to befitted into the receiving slot 102, and the contracting mechanism 116that is slidably attached to the retention member is adapted tofrictionally engage portions of the curve attachment 30 to portions ofthe receiving slot 102 to either fixedly position the J-member 26 to theretention member 25 or to have resistant engagement between the J-member26 and the retention member 25. Resistant engagement is defined asallowing for rotation of the J-member 26 with respect to the retentionmember 25, such as that as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, whereby the correctpull of the rod as described further herein will allow for arepositioning of the rod from FIG. 3 to the position as shown in FIG. 5for withdrawal and in the reverse sequence for an insertion of the rodto the rod retention conduit 152 of the fishing rod retention assembly20.

In one form, the contracting mechanism 116 is a bolt and nut arrangementwhereby a bolt 120 is provided having a threaded portion 122 that isadapted to engage a threaded recess region 124 of a nut 126. A firstlateral recess surface (not shown) can define an opening to engage theouter hexagonal surface of the nut 126 (or other engagement surface ofthe nut or like object), and by rotating the handle region 130 a forwardsurface 132 can directly engage the retainer 180. Of course a variety ofarrangements for this rod locking mechanism 114 can occur near theJ-member receiving portion 86; for example, a portion of the J-memberreceiving portion can be threaded correctly and the nut 126 would not beneeded. The operating elements of the rod locking mechanism provide freeor resistant engagement between the J-member 26 and the retention member25, and in one form provide for fixedly positioning the J-member 26 withrespect to the retention member 25 in situations where it is desired torigidly lock the fishing pole therein. In this example, a quick releasetherefrom is not desired, and a lack of such is accepted to ensure thatthe pole will remain in a closed position.

The retainer 180 as shown in FIG. 12 comprises a grasping region 182 anda central shaft region 184. The grasping region has a laterally inwardsurface 186 that is adapted to engage the fingers of a fisherman whenmanipulating the retainer 180 laterally inwardly and outwardly. Theinward surface 188 is adapted to engage the surface 61 as indicated inFIG. 8. The central shaft region 184 comprises elongated slots 190 thatprovide tangential relief so the forward region 192 can extend radiallyinwardly and outwardly. As shown in FIG. 16, positioned on the anteriorpartial cylindrical cavity region of the central shaft region 184 is amember 196 that is adapted to be positioned around the bolt or similarstructure 120. The outer surface of the member 196 as shown in FIG. 16has an annular extension region 198 that is adapted to cooperate withthe annular inward extension 200 of the retainer 180.

As shown in FIG. 8, the retainer 180 is in a fully inserted positionwhereby the outer surface of the retainer 180 is engaged in the openregion 81 defined by the upper portion of surface 83 that defines theslot 80 as shown in FIG. 13. This is a locked position, whereby afishing rod retained therein would not be removed even if a verticalforce were exerted upon the fishing rod. This orientation is desirablein situations such as very rough seas whereby a variety of inertialforces are acting upon the fishing rod, and the fisherman wants to beabsolutely sure the fishing rod is locked in the rod retention conduit152 as indicated in FIG. 8.

As indicated in FIG. 16, when a fisherman desires to orientate thefishing rod retention assembly 20 in a manner so that the fishing rod isonly partially securely locked within the rod retention conduit 152, thefisherman engages the laterally inward surface 186 and repositions theretainer 180 in a direction as indicated by arrow 201, whereby thelaterally inward portion of the annular inward extension 200 engages thelaterally outward portion of the annular extension region 198 andcentral shaft region 184 flexes radially outwardly as indicated in FIG.16 to get into this position as indicated in FIG. 17. In thisorientation, the J-member 26 can reposition vertically as indicated inFIGS. 18 and 19 to remove or insert a fishing rod.

As indicated in FIG. 7, as the fisherman provides the partially verticalforce as indicated at 210, while the retainer 180 is retracted asindicated in FIGS. 17-19, the fishing rod is removable by grasping theforward handle region 168 and pulling upwardly; however, a downwardforce as indicated in FIG. 6 by vector 212 at the forward region 211 ofthe fishing rod, forces the fishing rod 162 to remain locked within thefishing rod retention assembly 20.

Referring to FIG. 22, the mount extension 88 in one form is fixedlyattached to the J-member receiving portion 86 and the mount extension 88is adjustably attached to a base mounting 140 as shown in FIG. 16. Inone form, the base mounting 140 is attached to the mount extension 88 byan adjustable attachment device 146. The base mounting 140, having alower portion 142 that is adapted to be mounted in standard verticalopenings generally adapted to receive rod post holders on boats orstationary platforms for fishing, is indicated in FIG. 2 or for adisplay of a fishing rod in some manner.

The adjustable attachment device 146 is a part of a pitch adjustmentsystem whereas shown in FIG. 16, the adjustment knob 141 is threadedlyengaged to the bolt 143 which is fixedly attached to the retentionmember 25. Therefore, rotating the adjustment knob 141 repositions theknob laterally inwardly and outwardly and as indicated in FIGS. 10 and11, the locking extensions 145 are adapted to engage the locking grooves147 to fixedly position the upper assembly 27 in a certain pitchorientation. As indicated in FIG. 9, the base mounting 140 can beorientated at various angles with respect to the upper assembly 27.

There will now be a discussion of one form of operating the fishing rodretention assembly 20 with initial reference to FIG. 2. As shown in thisfigure, the fishing rod retention assembly is attached to a boat orstationary platform 160. The boat or stationary platform 160 is definedbroadly as a mounting location which in one form is a moving frame ofreference such as a boat where the fishing rod is desired to bepositioned in an active fishing orientation without the fisherman havingto hold onto the fishing rod constantly. Alternatively, the fishing rodretention assembly can be mounted to a stationary platform such as apier, whereby the fisherman does not need to hold the fishing rod 162,but rather, desires a rod retention assembly 20 to provide quick accessto the fishing rod 162 when a fish takes the bait off of the fishingrod's line. Of course, the fishing rod retention assembly 20 canfunction in other environments such as a display type of arrangement ina retail store or an individual's home.

FIG. 1 shows a fishing rod 162 having a reel seat area 164 that isgenerally defined as a portion of the fishing rod grasping area in thearea adapted to mount the reel 166 thereto. As shown in FIG. 7, on theopposing side of the reel is an extension 165 which in one form isadapted to engage the pocket 48 as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a method of inserting the rod 162 into the fishing rodretention assembly 20, whereby the fishing rod retention assembly 20 isin an open position and the rod retention conduit 152 is in an openexposed orientation, and the reel seat area 164 is adapted to engage therotating retention surface 36 of the upper and lower retention members32 and 34. The rotating retention surface 36 is adapted to engage theouter cylindrical surface of the reel seat area 164 (see FIG. 2) wherebythe cross-sectional diameter of the partially cylindrical-like portionsof the rotating retention surface 36 is slightly greater than thediameter of the conical or partially frustoconical surface of the handleregion of the fishing rod 162.

As shown in FIG. 5 the reel seat area 164 is positioned into the openchamber region of the rotating retention surface 36 of the J-member 26.The reel 166 is adapted to be interposed between the members 35 and 37of the upper retention extension 32 as seen in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG.7, the fisherman can place the fishing rod 162 into the exposed rodretention conduit 152 and thereafter place a downward and laterallyinward force to reposition the J-member 26 in the direction. Thereafter,the fishing rod retention assembly 20 is in a closed position as shownin FIG. 3 as well as FIG. 2, whereby the fishing rod 160 is lockedtherein the rod retention conduit 152.

When the fisherman has a take on the line and a fish is taking the bait,the pull upon the rod creates a movement about a lateral axis that istransferred to the J-member 26. This movement is counteracted in part bythe interaction between the engaging surfaces 74 and 106 as well as 76and 104 (see FIG. 1). The interaction between the immediatelyaforementioned surfaces creates a frictional type engagement that aidsin the prevention of an upward and laterally outward direction oppositeto that of arrow 212 in FIG. 6. However, as the fisherman grasps theforward handle region 168 and the rearward handle region 169 of thefishing pole 162 (see FIG. 7) and supplies a vertical force indicated byarrow 210, the frictional forces between surfaces 104 and 76 as well asthe engaged surfaces 74 and 106 (see FIG. 2) are reduced and thefisherman counteracts the resistance of the rod locking mechanism 114 toreposition the J-member into an open position as shown in FIG. 7.

There will now be a brief discussion of the frictional engagement pointswith reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. In general, the area that extendslongitudinally indicated at 300 in FIG. 21 which is positioned in theupper portion of the J-member is adapted to rest on the upper portion301 (see FIG. 22) of the first lateral surface 108 when in the closedposition. Further, a portion of the curve surface 62 indicated at 304 isadapted to engage the lower region of the surface 110 generallyindicated at the position 306 in FIG. 22. Further, the outsidecylindrical-like diameter area 310 as shown in FIG. 21 is adapted torest within the cup area 312 as shown in FIG. 22 when in the closedposition. The arrangement of the J-member provides for a unique actionwith tremendous ease of retrieving the fishing pole and providing thefisherman with a sense of security when the J-member is in a lockedposition with respect to the retention member.

Of course various modifications and alterations can be performed uponthe fishing rod retention assembly without departing from the spirit andscope of the claimed subject matter.

1. A method of providing a fishing rod retention assembly having alongitudinal axis and a lateral axis and adapted to be attached to astationary platform or a boat and mount a reel seat area of a fishingrod therein, the fishing rod having a forward region that occasionallyhas a load exerted thereon such as the load exerted from a fish on theline of the fishing rod, the fishing rod retention member comprising: a.providing a retention member and adjustably attaching retention memberto the stationary platform or boat and comprising a longitudinallyforward and a rearward surface that partially defines a receiving slot,b. providing a J-member having a curve attachment fixedly attached tothe retention bracket, the curved attachment having a longitudinallyrearward surface and a longitudinally forward surface, and furtherhaving first and second surfaces that are curved about a longitudinalaxis, the center of curvature of the first and second surfaces arrangedto have center of curvatures in a first lateral area of the curveattachment, c. attaching the J-member in the receiving slot of theretention member and have an open position whereby the elongated chamberregion provides for access therein, and the J-member is operativelyconfigured to be repositioned downwardly and laterally with the curveattachment extending through the receiving slot in a closed position toretain a fishing rod therein, whereby a frictional force between eitherthe longitudinally rearward surface or the longitudinally forwardsurface of the curve attachment with the longitudinally forward andrearward surfaces of the retention member sufficiently locks the fishingrod therein when a load is placed on the forward portion of the fishingrod comprising a retention bracket comprising a lower retention memberand an upper retention member and having a central elongated chamberregion adapted to mount the reel seat area of a fishing rod therein, d.providing a locking mechanism operatively configured to restrictmovement of the J-member with respect to the retention member, e.utilizing the J-member having an adjustment slot and repositioning thelocking member that is slidably attached to the retention member andadapted to extend through the adjustment slot so as to adjust theposition of the J-member with respect to the retention member.
 2. Themethod as recited in claim 1 whereby the retention member is connectedto a base mount by a slot and key means and the base mount is fixedlyattached to the stationary platform or boat.
 3. The method as recited inclaim 1 where the locking mechanism comprises an annular groove memberconfigured to be grasped by two fingers of a person.
 4. The method asrecited in claim 1 whereby the retention member is connected to a basemount by a slot and key system and the base mount is fixedly attached tothe stationary platform or boat.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1whereby the J-member has a surface comprising a pocket that is adaptedto have an extension in the reel seat area of the fishing rod extendtherein.
 6. The method as recited in claim 2 whereby the contractingmechanism is slidably attached to the retention member and is configuredto remain in engagement with the curve attachment.
 7. The method asrecited in claim 1 whereby an upper portion of the surface defining theadjustment slot defines an open region that has sufficient longitudinalwidth to allow the contracting mechanism to freely pass therethrough. 8.The method as recited in claim 1 whereby the adjustment slot has alongitudinal width that is smaller than the diameter of the contractingmechanism.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1 whereby the retentionmember comprises a mount extension that is rotatably and fixedlyattached to a mount extension that is fixedly attached to a boat orstationary object.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9 whereby themount extension comprises a plurality of slots aligned about acenterpoint and the mount extension comprises a plurality of extensionsthat are adapted to engage the slots of the mount extension, and alaterally extending tension member maintains the extensions fixedlyattached to the slots.
 11. The method as described in claim 10 wherebythe laterally extending tension member is repositioned to allow rotationthereabout between the mount extension and the base mount, whereby thepitch of the retention member is adjusted with respect to the boat orstationary location.
 12. The method as described in claim 1 whereby theJ-member is rotated about a pivot location that is not a structuralportion of the fishing rod retention assembly.
 13. The method as recitedin claim 1 whereby the curve attachment is rotated about a virtual pointpositioned away from the fishing rod retention assembly.
 14. The methodas recited in claim 1 whereby the first and second surfaces of theJ-member have a radius of curvature that is greater than 1.5 inches. 15.The method as recited in claim 1 whereby the retention member andJ-member are manufactured by an injection molding process.
 16. Themethod as recited in claim 1 whereby the contracting mechanism has alaterally inward surface to allow extraction thereof in a laterallyoutward direction.
 17. A method of retaining a fishing rod having a reelseat area and a forward region to a stationary platform or boatcomprising the steps of: a. fixedly attaching a retention member to astationary platform or boat where the retention member comprises alongitudinally forward surface and a longitudinally rearward surfacewhich partially defines a receiving slot, the retention memberpositioned in an orientation having a desirable angle of pitch of thefishing rod, b. positioning a J-member having a curve attachment thathas first and second surfaces having a radius of curvature with acenterpoint and a first lateral region with respect to the curveattachment, and positioning the curve attachment within the receivingslot of the retention member, c. positioning the reel seat area of thefishing rod within a retention bracket of the J-member and utilizing theconfined movement between the curve attachment of the J-member and thereceiving slot to reposition the reel seat area downwardly and laterallyso the reel seat area is securely locked therein, whereby frictionalengagement between the longitudinally forward and rearward surfaces andthe curve attachment retain the J-member in a secure position when adownward force is exerted upon the forward region of the fishing rod, d.retrieving the fishing rod from the locked position whereby providing anupward force forward of the reel seat area allows for a vertical andlateral repositioning of the J-member so the J-member is positioned inan open orientation with respect to the retention member and the fishingrod is extracted therefrom.
 18. The method as recited in claim 17whereby the J-member comprises a surface defining an adjustment slot anda contracting mechanism that is slidably attached to the retentionmember extending therethrough and when the J-member is in a closedposition with respect to the retention member, the contracting mechanismextends through an upper open portion of the adjustment slot, thereforelocking the J-member in a closed position with respect to the retentionmember.
 19. The method as recited in claim 18 whereby the retention slothas a lowermost surface that is adapted to engage a laterally extendingmember attached to the retention member to prevent the J-member frombeing fully extracted from the receiving slot.